Publications by authors named "Sara M Nilson"
Article Synopsis
- * A study using genotypes from 81 flocks found that nearly all genetic variation (99.9%) comes from a single ancestral population, suggesting a current population size of around 150, but the breed should actually target a reference population of 15,000 for better genomic prediction accuracy.
- * The average inbreeding level was about 16.6%, with specific genomic regions linked to production traits showing high levels of shared genetic material; addressing these could help improve selection outcomes,
The length of ewe productive life (LPL), defined as the number of days between the first and last lambing, is a key indicator of ewe longevity and is directly related to the sustainability of the sheep industry. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate systematic effects influencing LPL in Katahdin sheep. The LPL of 10,474 Katahdin ewes (69.
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- Understanding the genetic diversity of the Polypay sheep breed is crucial for breeding programs and conservation strategies.
- The breed was developed in 1968 to enhance productivity in U.S. range flocks but its genetic diversity has not yet been fully documented.
- This study aimed to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of U.S. Polypay sheep using detailed pedigree and genomic data from multiple flocks, revealing various inbreeding rates and effective population sizes.
Article Synopsis
- * A study analyzed extensive pedigree records (n=92,030) from 1984-2019 to evaluate the pedigree's completeness, diversity statistics, and the impact of diversity on genomic selection among Katahdin sheep.
- * Findings indicated over 300 effective founders and sufficient diversity, with effective population size averaging 111, low inbreeding rates, and improved prediction accuracies as reference populations increased from 1k to 15k sheep.
Article Synopsis
- Cats became friends with people about 12,000 years ago, when humans started farming instead of hunting.
- Wildcats helped control the number of rodents that were attracted to farms, which benefited both the cats and the farmers.
- Scientists studied cat DNA to trace their origins, finding that most domestic cats come from areas around the eastern Mediterranean, and their migration patterns follow those of early humans.
Background: Genotypic information produced from single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays has routinely been used to identify genomic regions associated with complex traits in beef and dairy cattle. Herein, we assembled a dataset consisting of 15,815 Red Angus beef cattle distributed across the continental U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has a profound economic impact on the cattle industry. Calves infected in utero and born persistently infected (PI) with BVDV have increased morbidity, mortality, and reduced productivity. Further, they serve as a continual source of viral exposure to herd mates and thereby pose a significant risk to animal wellbeing and production efficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have facilitated discovery of genetic markers associated with complex traits in domestic cattle; thereby enabling modern breeding and selection programs. Genome-wide association analyses (GWAA) for growth traits were conducted on 10,837 geographically diverse U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of high throughput SNP genotyping technologies has improved the genetic dissection of simple and complex traits in many species including cats. The properties of feline 62,897 SNPs Illumina Infinium iSelect DNA array are described using a dataset of over 2,000 feline samples, the most extensive to date, representing 41 cat breeds, a random bred population, and four wild felid species. Accuracy and efficiency of the array's genotypes and its utility in performing population-based analyses were evaluated.
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